Establishing a Robust Platform for Investigating the Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Response of iPSC-Derived Microglia in Drug Discovery

Axol Bioscience presents a robust and scalable platform for studying the inflammatory responses of human iPSC-derived microglia, key players in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, and FTD. This study highlights the reproducibility and versatility of Axol’s axoCells™ microglia across multiple assays and batches.

Key highlights include:

• Cytokine release profiling:
  • IL6, IL8, and TNFα release in response to LPS stimulation
  • Inhibition of cytokine release with TLR4 antagonists (TAK242, TGF-β) and dexamethasone
  • High reproducibility across batches (e.g., ax0664 line)
• Surface receptor expression:
  • CD80 and CD83 upregulated in M1-like pro-inflammatory states
  • CD206 upregulated in M2-like anti-inflammatory states (IL-4, IL-10 stimulation)
• Transcriptomic and proteomic analysis:
  • TempoSeq reveals gene expression changes under various stimuli
  • O-Link proteomics confirms cytokine modulation including MMP12, IL6, TNFα
• Assay capabilities:
  • HTRF and ELISA for cytokine quantification
  • Flow cytometry for receptor profiling
  • TempoSeq for transcriptomic analysis
• Differentiation protocol:
  • Mesoderm induction → Haemangioblast → Macrophage progenitor → Microglia-like cells
  • Cryopreserved and QC-validated using IBA1, TMEM119, and P2RY12 markers

These iPSC-derived microglia offer a physiologically relevant model for drug discovery, enabling researchers to predict compound effects and uncover mechanisms of neuroinflammation.

Featured Axol Product:

• axoCells™ Microglia Kits (e.g., ax0664) – Human iPSC-derived microglia validated for cytokine release, receptor expression, and transcriptomic profiling.